Music Lovers' Ratings & Reviews:

Let's Teach The World About RAY CONNIFF!
Music Lover: Alex Garcia from
Fairview, NJ US -- March, 13, 2005

Wow, what an outstanding collection we now have on CD..First of all, have you ever seen more gorgeous and sexier LP covers than those of Ray Conniff LP covers? Great Contemporary is a CREATIVE and MUSICAL masterpiece....Ray gives us some of the most FRESH and INTERESTING arrangements ever without competing with the original scores....Highlights on this LP are all of them, but Carole King's IT'S TOO LATE, Yvonne Elliman's I Don't Know How To Love HIM with the singers "do do do ' ing" the vocals is OUTSTANDING...Check out the ENERGY of Tijuana TAXI....Herb Alpert once said he loved this arrangement....This is a perfect example of Ray Conniff taking an original song like TIJUANA TAXI by the Tijuana BRASS, which was PERFECT in every sense of the word, and Conniff comes up with an ARRANGEMENT that is AS GOOD or let's say, MORE PERFECT than the PERFECT arrangement...He HAS BEEN doing that his ENTIRE MUSICAL CAREER! Over and over and over.......Now let's talk about I LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD.....This is 1 of 2 SNUFF GARRETT productions.....Snuff GARRETT produced Ray's GODFATHER LP with a smaller SINGER Female/Male combo and TEACH THE WORLD was so HOT when it was released, that radio stations used to play most the cuts off this LP over and over...Free Movement's I've Found Someone of My Own is a GEM, the title TRACK, I LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING remains in my humble opinion and in many other's opinion the BEST VERSION of this song...(Certainly better than the original version...)That intoxicating PIANO riff that he uses in Lennon's IMAGINE gives it that sense of URGENCY and NERVOUSNESS that the song tries to depict......Freddie Scott's HEY GIRL with The Bahler Brothers and/or Ron Hicklin is FABULOUS...Snuff Garrett who produced Sonny & Cher throws in another Cher tune, GYPSIES, TRAMPS and THIEVES which Jackie Ward taking HELM on the female MIKE! The MOST CREATIVE and ORIGINAL GEM here is BREAD's BABY I'M A WANT YOU...It just grooves and rocks! To take a song which was beautiful but extremely laid back and start off with that INCREDIBLE drum roll and guitar riff is just plain BRAVE and a MARVEL! Look, these arrangements where and still ARE FRESH and EXCITING and worthy of LISTENING and most of all BUYING THESE CDS......I have purchased two copies of every CD that COLLECTIBLES has released by RAY CONNIFF.........Melanie's BRAND NEW KEY is such a sexy song and Ray's take with that guitar rhythm is so, so "wow wow!!!" For lack of better PHRASING! Enjoy CONNIFF fans, you all know who you are and know that my comments are just a SNIPPET of how you all feel about these wonderful 70s Conniff LPs that continue to bring JOY & LAUGHTER, OVER & OVER.............

Great Contempory Hits / I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing
Music Lover: Ron Narum from
Houston, TX US -- January, 24, 2005

Two GREAT Conniff albums. "Contempory Hits" was a throw back album in the use of the wordless chorus with updated arrangements that were not quite like anything Ray ever recorded. "I'd Like to Teach..." was the first album that Ray recorded using a new group of singers that were heard on many of his albums of the 70's that offered a much more updated sound. Both cd's offer a very contempory song selection with arrangements that were not only timely for the seventies but remain timeless to this day. Thanks to Collectables for making them avalible on cd!

Great Contemporary Hits/I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing
Music Lover: Tom Alisankus from
Evansville, Wisconsin -- April, 14, 2003

Every time I listen to a 'new' Conniff CD, I am certain that THIS is the best one he has ever done. This CD takes the Conniff style (magic?) to new heights. Not only is his choice of titles excellent, but the way in which he arranges each piece is inspiring....In many of the arrangements, Conniff seems to be subtly--but noticibly--showing off the drums (listen especially to "Conniff's Dance of the Hours). SWEET! A great choice for any Ray Conniff fan.